McGuffey's Third Eclectic Reader, Revised Edition · Lesson XLV · Part 5: Kites, sticks and kind deeds

45. The Mountain Sister

Goal: Your child reads a story about life in the mountains and tells how Jeannette helped her family.

⏱ About 20 minutes · 7 steps

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You'll need

  • The book, open to this lesson
  • A notebook or lined paper and a pencil

What's in the book

A story about little Jeannette, who lives high in the mountains and helps her family gather chestnuts in the fall. Definitions at the end.

The lesson, step by step

  1. Warm up

    SayWhat would be good about living high in the mountains? What would be hard?

  2. Words and meanings

    This lesson's definitions are printed at the end, after the reading. Read a few of them together before you start:

    Chestnut, a tree valuable for its timber and its fruit.

    Prickly, covered with sharp points.

    Burrs, the rough coverings of seeds or nuts.

    Crisp, brittle, sparkling.

    Then find each word in the lesson.

    SayCan you use one of these words in a sentence of your own?

  3. Read it aloud

    Your child reads. Look at the picture together before you begin.

    Here are two lines from it:

    The home of little Jeannette is far away, high up among the mountains.

    Let us call her our mountain sister.

    Then let your child reread a favorite part, more smoothly.

  4. Talk about it

    SayWhere does Jeannette live?

    SayWhat did the family gather, and why did the frost help?

    SayHow did Jeannette help, even though she is little?

    Let your child look back at the page to find answers.

  5. Tell it back or write it

    Close the book.

    SayTell me about a day with Jeannette in the chestnut woods.

    An older child can write two or three sentences instead.

  6. Copywork

    Your child copies this from the book in their best handwriting:

    The mountain life is ever a fresh and happy one.

    Check capitals and marks together.

  7. Spelling

    Say each word, use it in a sentence, and have your child spell it aloud, then write it: chestnut, prickly, crisp, mountain.

    Check together and fix any mistakes right away. Keep missed words for tomorrow's warm-up.

Afterwards

Reread the lesson aloud tomorrow before starting the next one, and review any missed spelling words.

Tip

If you can find chestnuts (or a picture of their spiky burrs), show them.

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